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This is what a federal government shutdown means for Delmarva (and you)

President Donald Trump says it's 'totally up to the Democrats if we have' a government shutdown. Trump's comments come as the Senate began a procedural vote on funding that would give him money for his border wall. (Dec. 21)

U.S. Capitol Hill building pictured after the partial government shutdown early Saturday.(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images)

At 12:01 a.m. Saturday, about a quarter of the government shut down after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill.

Congress was unable to come to an agreement that would appease both chambers of the legislature as well as President Donald Trump for the third time in less than a year. The Senate adjourned Saturday with no plans to return before Dec. 27, meaning the shutdown will likely extend at least through then.

Nine governmental departments and several agencies are now closed for the time being, meaning employees are either furloughed or working without pay.

The affected departments are Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, as well as several agencies.

On Delmarva, that means some of the Shore's most iconic places aren't operating at full capacity.

The Assateague Island National Seashore, for instance, remains accessible to visitors, but there will be limited emergency services available. Visitor services are also on hold, meaning public information at visitors centers or services at campgrounds operated by the National Park Service will not be available. A release from the Seashore said all park programs are canceled.

At Wallops Flight Facility, the visitor's center was already closed for the season. A spokesperson said Friday, however, that with the exception of security personnel, the majority of Wallops’ employees are furloughed when the government shuts down. Some of the facility's fieldwork, such as missions the agency is conducting in Antarctica, will continue.

Farm service agencies will also be closed, and small business owners will lose access to federally assisted loans as Small Business Administration guarantees to back loans will freeze. Potential homebuyers will be put on standby as mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration will also freeze.

Trump said Friday that he's prepared for a long shutdown. Much of the disagreement over the spending bills that would fund the government comes back to the $5 billion the president wants to build a wall along the country's southern border, which many congressional Democrats are hesitant to give.

For the average person on the Eastern Shore not employed by the government, though, life will remain more or less the same until the government reopens.

Social Security and Medicare benefits will still be provided. The post office, which is not dependent on federal funds for day-to-day operations, will continue to deliver mail.

Those traveling for the holidays should still be set, as air-traffic controllers on flights will still be working and border agents will continue to work at border crossings and ports of entry. Amtrak will remain open, and you will still be able to visit Smithsonian museums.

Perhaps the most valuable service for younger members of the family will also remain available: NORAD's famous Santa Tracker, which gives the approximate location of Santa Claus as he flies around the globe, will operate as normal on Christmas Eve regardless of the passage of a spending bill.